Everything about Sandalwood-Benefits, uses and side effects 

Here are the benifits of sandalwood, uses of sandalwood and also drawbacks of sandalwood.

Sandalwood-Benefits, uses and side effects 

sandalwood, you must have listened about it’s name. You may aware about the sandalwood and about its cost in market. You may also know how the smugglers are smuggling the sandalwood for Money. Many question you may have in your mind about sandalwood, why sandalwood is so expensive?, what are Benefits of sandalwood?, why sandalwood is smuggled?, what are the drawbacks of sandalwood? etc. etc.

so here we are going to discuss everything about sandalwood and at the end I am sure that you will get complete knowledge about sandalwood benefits and uses.

Here we are going to cover following points

#1. what is sandalwood

#2. cultural history and importance of sandalwood

#3. Advantages and health benefits of sandalwood

#4. uses of sandalwood

#5. disadvantages of using sandalwood or side effects of sandalwood

So lets get started with the our topic “Everything about Sandalwood-Benefits, uses and Drawbacks”

What is sandalwood?

Before going to next points let us discuss about the sandalwood and what is sandalwood actually.

Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus santalum and species santalum album. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades.

 Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for various uses in industries. Sandalwood has been highly valued for centuries. (source: Wikipedia)

Cultural history and importance about sandalwood

Sandalwood is very sacred in the Hindu ayurveda and is known in Sanskrit as chandana.  The wood is used for worshipping the god Shiva, and it is believed that goddess Lakshmi lives in the sandalwood tree. The wood of the tree is made into a paste using sandalwood powder, and this paste is integral to rituals and ceremonies, to make religious utensils, to decorate the icons of the deities, and to calm the mind during meditation and prayer.

The paste is prepared by grinding wood by hand with granite slabs. With the gradual addition of water, a thick paste forms. Chandan powder is very popular in India and is also used in Nepal. In Tirupati after religious tonsure, sandalwood paste is applied to protect the skin. Thus, it is one of the most used holy elements in Hindu.(source ; Wikipedia)

Sandalwood powder is showered as blessings by Jain monks and nuns to their disciples and followers. 

In some Buddhist traditions, sandalwood is considered to be of the lotus group and attributed to Amitabha Buddha.

Advantages and health benefits of sandalwood

Today health and immunity is very very important in life. The natural products are a huge source of all type of immunity. Natural products have their own health and medicinal effects. So let us discuss the health and medicinal benefits of sandalwood here.

1. The fragrance :

The core of sandalwood have a typical and popular fragrance. This unique fragrance is the reason why the sandalwood is used in perfumes, soaps and other fragrance related products. Sandalwood smell is very unique and typical.  

2. Antiseptic activity 

The sandalwood, have its own medicinal effects. And this is one of the health benefit of sandalwood. It is found that the sandalwood has its own antiseptic activity. Thus you can use it as antiseptic on the wounds. 

The antiseptic activity is the ability of a substance to heal wounds. And the sandalwood have the antiseptic activity. In Ayurveda chandan means sandalwood is used as a medicinal plant because of its tremendous health benefits. So this was also a very good health benefit of sandalwood.

3. Astringent activity

The decoction of sandalwood gives the astringent activity.  The meaning of astringent is to contract or to shrink. It shows its activity on muscle. Due to its astringent activity it is used in medicines. But taking the pure sandalwood oil without prescription may be harmful.

4. Diuretic and mild stimulant

In its name it shows double urination i.e. bulk of urine urine increase than the normal to double known as diuresis. Sandalwood is also act as mild stimulant (mildly enhances the nervous system).

5. Soothing effect on skin

Soothing means to tranquilize or calm, as a person or the feelings; relieve, comfort, or refresh

When sandalwood paste is applied on skin it gives cool and the soothing effect due to its ingredients.

6. Anti-inflammatory

Inhalation of Sandalwood oil also helps to manage respiratory infections that work by reducing the inflammation in the lung airways due to its anti-inflammatory property.

7. Tighten and cleanse the skin

It brings about minor contractions in your soft tissues of the skin and tightens your pores. This is precisely why many facial packs and toners use sandalwood as one of their primary ingredients.

8. For Glow and soft skin

Use red sandalwood powder along with curd and milk to improve uneven skin tone.

Uses of sandalwood

After the Benefits we turned to its uses. We discussed the question like where sandalwood is used ? Why only sandalwood is used? and more.

1. Used for fragrance
The sandalwood oil is extracted from the core of sandalwood which have an attractive smell. For this attractive smell it is used in various industries.

2. In cosmetics
As we discussed above the sandalwood activities like astringent, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, analgesic ,etc Hence it is used in cosmetics.


3. Perfume industries
Due to ambient fragrance of sandalwood oil it is used in perfume industries. In India sandalwood oil is used to Attar(concentrated scent).


4. In soap industries
Many soap industries used the sandalwood oil due to its fragrance to attract the customers.


5. For carving purpose
Sandalwood has a dense character because of which it is used by artist for carving purpose


6. For incense stick production
India has a big market of incense sticks. Incense sticks are used to make environment fresh, hence sandalwood oil is used to make incense sticks.

Side effects of sandalwood

Every coin have to side likewise sandalwood have benefits with bad effects. We have discussed Its side effects of sandalwood as given below

If ingested purely can cause 

1. Itching in stomach 

2. Nausea 

3. Vomitting 

4. Abdominal pain 

5. Blood in urine 

6. Kidney damage.

So this was “Everything about Sandalwood-Benefits, uses and side effects ”.

Hope this helped you. If any queries, opinions or suggestions, comment down right here. Have a nice

day.😊😊😊